Home

My Pantry

Store and share all your favourite images, ideas and tips for your new kitchen in our online scrapbook.Join Here—Login

To locate the closest My Dream Kitchen showroom or designer near you please Click Here

Menu

Home

Products

Inspiration

Kitchen Toolbox

Store Locator

Promotions

My Pantry

Contact

Terms & Conditions

Products

Inspiration

Toolbox

Locator

Promotions

Tips & Tricks

Back to all Tips & Tricks

James and Michelle's dream kitchen

Renovating or building a new home can be a daunting process, especially while life needs to carry on day by day around you. At My Dream Kitchen we aim to provide you with all the tips and tricks you need to help you on your way, along with inspirational imagery, product information and even a list of trusted kitchen manufacturers so you can turn your dream into a reality.

Ove the next five weeks we’re going to follow Michelle and James as they talk us through their new home build. Join us and learn about the steps they took to turn an empty lot into a family home, with a dream kitchen inside!

PART ONE - The Decision

When James and I decided to try for a second child, we knew that we’d have to do something about the house at the same time. We loved our little home, our first, but it wouldn’t be big enough for four as it was barely big enough for the two of us and a just-walking toddler. We’d been lucky and bought before the market in Auckland went completely crazy so we’d found our ideal location – a quiet cul-de-sac, close to work for both of us, and close to a good primary school for when our kids were older.

Our first thought was renovation. We spent hours researching online and even went so far as to have some plans drawn up, but it was all really hard and nothing quite ticked all our boxes. Eventually we decided to remove the house and start from scratch. We knew this would mean moving out to a rental property while construction was completed, and that would require careful budgeting, but that way we could keep our property in its great location and get a home that truly met all our needs.